| 27 April 2009
Los Angeles Lakers 107 Utah Jazz 96
Many people who break down this game and series will also try to use it as a way to look into the next round and worry unneccesarily about why the Lakers had a tough time holding on to leads. Those same experts will believe that we've seen the chink in the Lakers' armor.
I'd rather focus on the positive and look at how they got the big leads in the first place. The Lakers played phenomenal defense once again forcing Deron Williams into tough shots and turnovers and making sure Carlos Boozer never got anything going. They ended up holding the Jazz to 40% shooting in this game and 43% for the series.
The Lakers' offense was also clicking on all cylinders. They were led by Kobe Bryant's 31 points on 10-21 from the field and 8-9 from the line. Bryant added 4 assists, 4 steals and a block in another quietly dominating performance. The real offensive star of the game was Lamar Odom. He finished up with 26 points on 15 shots to go with 15 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks. When he has his offense going like he did in this game, the Lakers cannot lose.
Yes the Jazz were able to come back from a huge deficit to cut it to six behind Paul Millsap and Ronnie Price, but it doesn't point to a bigger problem. It just points to Price playing over his head and the Lakers not having a game plan in place for him. Do you honestly think they scouted Price at all before this series? Do you think they cared that much about him going off until it really got too close for comfort?
So talk all you want about lacking killer instinct or blowing big leads or giving your opponent confidence, but didn't the Los Angeles Lakers just do exactly what everyone thought they would? They won in dominating fashion taking the series in five games, only allowing the Jazz to win one close game at home (something many of us predicted before the series started). When it was all said and done the Lakers moved on to the next round without much of a fight. Sure they surrendered leads, but their average margin of victory was 12 (and it didn't even feel like the series was that close.)
Why the Lakers Won This Game
The Lakers won this game (and ultimately the series) because Lamar Odom may be the most well-rounded and dangerous third option in the league. He just causes match-up nightmares for so many teams with his length, quickness, court vision, ability to run the point, etc. Imagine if the Bulls of the nineties had Jordan, a big man that was perfect for the triangle (Pau Gasol) and Pippen as their third option. Wouldn't that team be the favorite to not only win but by double-digits in every game? This is the dynamic of the Lakers along with Trevor Ariza's athleticism and Andrew Bynum's big body sprinkled in to help the defense.
Why the Jazz Lost This Game
The Jazz were overmatched coming into this series. Williams could only do so much for this team, and the poor showing of Boozer is what really sunk them. Has a player that everyone knew would be opting out for a bigger contract ever done as much damage to his earning potential as Boozer did this season and into the playoffs? He was injured for much of the year and didn't put up great stats in the regular season, and he followed that up by putting up the most hollow 20-10 in the history of the playoffs. Yet some team will still overpay him, and Utah should be happy to be "stuck" with Millsap.
Heading into the Next Round
The Lakers will get a chance to rest for a few days before they take on either Portland or Houston (it looks likely that it will be Houston) in second round. They'll need the extra time with Ariza and Luke Walton recovering from injuries. The Lakers dominated the Rockets in the season series and had a tough time with the Blazers this season. The only record they're concerned with is 4-0 which I'm sure they'll be pushing for in round two.
Prediction: Boozer cashes in this summer, and the Lakers get ready for Houston
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